Playwright vs. Selenium Comparison
Playwright vs. Selenium Comparison
| Feature | Selenium | Playwright |
|---|---|---|
| Developed by | ThoughtWorks (Selenium Project) | Microsoft |
| First Released | 2004 | 2020 |
| Language Support | Java, C#, Python, Ruby, JavaScript (Node.js) | JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, C#, Java |
| Browsers Supported | Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Edge | Chromium (Chrome, Edge), Firefox, WebKit (Safari) |
| Cross-Browser Testing | Yes | Yes |
| Grid Support | Yes (Selenium Grid) | Limited (Parallel contexts within single browser) |
| Headless Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced Interactions | Basic support | Advanced support (network traffic, auth, etc.) |
| Auto-Waiting | No (requires explicit waits) | Yes |
| Browser Contexts | No | Yes |
| Setup | Requires separate WebDriver binaries | Includes browsers out of the box |
| Syntax | Straightforward, more boilerplate | Cleaner, more concise |
| Execution Speed | Generally slower due to WebDriver communication | Faster with optimized control |
| Reliability | Can be flaky, requires explicit waits | More reliable with auto-waiting |
| Community | Large and active | Growing rapidly |
| Support | Extensive resources, forums, third-party integrations | Comprehensive documentation, active community |
| Best For | Extensive cross-browser testing, legacy systems | Modern web apps, robust and reliable testing |
Locator Comparison: Playwright vs. Selenium
| Locator Type | Selenium | Playwright |
|---|---|---|
| ID | By.id("elementID") | page.locator('id=elementID') |
| Class Name | By.className("className") | page.locator('.className') |
| Name | By.name("name") | page.locator('name=name') |
| CSS Selector | By.cssSelector("cssSelector") | page.locator('css=cssSelector') |
| XPath | By.xpath("xpathExpression") | page.locator('xpath=xpathExpression') |
| Text | By.xpath("//*[text()='text']") | page.locator('text=text') |
| Link Text | By.linkText("linkText") | page.locator('text=linkText') |
| Partial Link Text | By.partialLinkText("partialLinkText") | Not directly supported. Can be achieved with XPath. |
| Tag Name | By.tagName("tagName") | page.locator('tagName=tagName') |
Method Comparison: Playwright vs. Selenium
| Method | Selenium | Playwright |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Browser | WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(); | const browser = await playwright.chromium.launch(); |
| Close Browser | driver.quit(); | browser.close(); |
| Navigate to URL | driver.get("https://example.com"); | page.goto("https://example.com"); |
| Find Element | WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.xxx("")); | const element = await page.locator('xxx=selector').first(); |
| Find Elements | List |
const elements = await page.locator('xxx=selector').elements(); |
| Click Element | element.click(); | await element.click(); |
| Type Text | element.sendKeys("text"); | await element.type("text"); |
| Clear Text | element.clear(); | await element.clear(); |
| Get Text | String text = element.getText(); | const text = await element.innerText(); |
| Get Attribute | String attribute = element.getAttribute("attributeName"); | const attribute = await element.getAttribute("attributeName"); |
| Wait for Element | WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10); wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.xxx(""))); |
await page.waitForSelector('xxx=selector'); |
| Wait for Text | WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10); wait.until(ExpectedConditions.textToBePresentInElement(element, "text")); |
Not directly supported. Can be implemented using custom functions. |
| Scroll to Element | JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor) driver; js.executeScript("arguments[0].scrollIntoView(true);", element); |
await element.scrollIntoViewIfNeeded(); |
| Execute Script | JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor) driver; js.executeScript("javascript code"); |
await page.evaluate("javascript code"); |
| Switch to Frame | driver.switchTo().frame("frameName"); | const frame = await page.frame({ name: 'frameName' }); |
| Switch to Default Content | driver.switchTo().defaultContent(); | await page.mainFrame(); |
| Switch to Window | String mainWindow = driver.getWindowHandle(); driver.switchTo().window(windowHandle); |
const pages = await browser.pages(); const newPage = pages.find(page => page.url() === 'targetURL'); await newPage.bringToFront(); |
| Accept Alert | driver.switchTo().alert().accept(); | await page.waitForTimeout(1000); await page.keyboard.press('Enter'); |
| Dismiss Alert | driver.switchTo().alert().dismiss(); | await page.waitForTimeout(1000); await page.keyboard.press('Escape'); |
| Get Alert Text | String alertText = driver.switchTo().alert().getText(); | Not directly supported. Can be implemented using custom functions. |
| Set Alert Text | driver.switchTo().alert().sendKeys("text"); | Not directly supported. Can be implemented using custom functions. |